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A troublesome and underrecognized health issue has received welcome attention in the form of an NIH statement on prevalence, risk factors, prevention, and identification of urinary incontinence (UI) and fecal incontinence (FI) and an accompanying review of UI treatments.
The highlights of the NIH statement are as follows:
Prevalence of FI in community-dwelling women ranges from 6% in women aged 40 or younger to 15% in older women. About 19% of community-dwelling women younger than 45 and 29% of those 80 or older experience UI (contributing to a total of ≥20 million U.S. women). Prevalence of each form of incontinence is highest among nursing home residents.
Modifiable risk factors include depression, increased BMI, poor diet, smoking, higher p…